(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump abruptly left a news conference at the White House late Monday, after a person was shot near the building, prompting Secret Service agents to usher the president out of the room.
Trump returned about nine minutes later and said the incident occurred in the area around the White House but not within its gates.
The Secret Service said in a statement on Twitter that there was an officer-involved shooting at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. Law enforcement officials were at the scene, the Secret Service said.
“I feel very safe with the Secret Service,” Trump said. “They just wanted me to step aside for a little while” to make sure the situation was cleared. He said waited in the Oval Office area.
Trump had begun the briefing by criticizing mail-in voting and touting the rise in the stock market when the disruption occurred.
Security lockdowns at the White House occur with some frequency and are sometimes related to disruptions near the building.
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